ALBANY -- New York State is taking action against motorists who persistently evade paying tolls and fees on New York's roadways.

The regulation allows the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the registration of motorists who fail to pay five tolls, fees, and other charges resulting from violations on different days, within a period of 18 months, and ignore toll authorities' repeated notices. The regulation takes effect immediately and was first proposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles in November.

"We are sending a clear message that New York State will not tolerate toll violators," said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. "For far too long, these scofflaws have skirted their responsibility of helping maintain the state's transportation network and placed the burden on the backs of law-abiding motorists. With this regulation adopted, we can now ensure that those who travel in New York State pay their fair share."

New York's tolling authorities -- including the New York State Thruway Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York State Bridge Authority, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels -- report that non-payment of tolls, even with violation notices being sent, is a persistent challenge. Within an 18-month period, these authorities found nearly 35,000 cases where violators accrued five or more unpaid toll violations, resulting in about $16.5 million in lost revenue annually.

With the adoption of this regulation, violators will be required to pay the tolls and fees, or to have the charges dismissed, in order to prevent the suspension of their registrations or for their registrations to be reinstated.

As they have prior to the adoption of this regulation, tolling authorities will send violators notices for each toll violation, which include the amount owed, how to pay, and how to dispute the alleged violation. If the violator fails to pay the tolls, fees or other charges, or have such tolls, fees or charges dismissed or transferred in response to the multiple notices, the tolling authority will refer the violator to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Prior to the suspension taking effect, the registrant may request a hearing before a Department of Motor Vehicles administrative law judge. If the registrant requests a hearing, the suspension will not take effect until the conclusion of the hearing. If no hearing is requested, the suspension will take effect as declared in the notice, and will remain in effect until the tolling authority notifies the Department of Motor Vehicles that the motorist has paid the outstanding tolls, fees, and other charges.

Gov. Cuomo recently proposed the largest investment in transportation infrastructure in Upstate New York history. Read more about his 2016 agenda, including a number of major projects to build, rebuild, and revitalize infrastructure across the state, here.